BT-7

BT-7, BT-7M
BT-7M, 1940, with tracks removed from the wheels and carried on the hull
TypeLight cavalry tank
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service1935–45
Used by Soviet Union
Mongolia
 Finland (captured)
 Hungary (captured)
 Romania (captured)
 Nazi Germany (captured)
WarsSoviet–Japanese Border Wars
World War II
Winter War
Continuation war
Soviet–Japanese War
Production history
DesignerMorozov
Designed1935[1]
ManufacturerKhPZ
Produced1935–40
No. built5753 [a]
VariantsBT-7A, BT-7M (BT-8), BT-IS[1]
Specifications (BT-7 model 1937[1])
Mass13.9 tonnes (13.7 long tons; 15.3 short tons)
Length5.66 m (18 ft 7 in)
Width2.29 m (7 ft 6 in)
Height2.42 m (7 ft 11 in)
Crew3 (commander, loader, driver)

ArmourHull: 6–40 mm
Turret: 10–15 mm
Main
armament
45 mm anti-tank gun M1932/38 (20-K)
Secondary
armament
2 x 7.62 mm DT machine gun
EngineMikulin M-17T (V-12) gasoline
450 hp (340 kW) at 1,750 rpm
Power/weight32.37 hp/tonne
TransmissionChain drive (tracks: sliding gear)
SuspensionChristie
Ground clearance0.305 m (10 in)
Fuel capacity620 litres (160 US gal)
Operational
range
Road: 250 km (160 mi)
Off-road: 120 km (75 mi)
Maximum speed Road: 72–86 km/h (45–53 mph)
Off-road: 50 km/h (31 mph)
Steering
system
steering stick

The BT-7 [b] was the last of the BT series of Soviet cavalry tanks that were produced in large numbers between 1935 and 1940. It was lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for the time, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs. The BT tanks were known by the nickname Betka from the acronym, or its diminutive, Betushka.[2]

The BT-7's successor was the famous T-34 medium tank, introduced in 1940, which replaced all of the Soviet fast tanks, infantry tanks, and medium tanks then in service.

  1. ^ a b c "BT-7 Bystrochodnij Tankov (Fast Tank)". wwiivehicles.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2006.
  2. ^ Zaloga 1984, p 74.


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